A typical tilt-adjustable motor vehicle steering column includes a stationary mast, a tilt housing supported on the top of the mast jacket for up and down pivotal movement, an articulated steering shaft having a lower portion rotatably supported on the mast jacket and an upper portion rotatably supported on the tilt housing, and a steering hand wheel on the upper portion of the steering shaft. Up and down pivotal movement of the tilt housing adjusts the vertical position of the steering hand wheel. Commonly, the steering column further includes a balance spring between the tilt housing and the mast jacket which minimizes the manual effort required for upward adjustment of the position of the steering hand wheel by biasing the tilt housing toward an upper limit position. Because the balance spring is necessarily located close to the longitudinal centerline of the steering column and because the tilt housing and the structural elements thereon are relatively heavy, the balance spring is usually a long helical coil spring trapped or preloaded in compression flexure between the mast jacket and the tilt housing. In some prior tilt-adjustable steering columns, preload compression flexure of the long balance spring is attained by arching the balance spring between spring seats on the tilt housing and the mast jacket and then thrusting the middle of the spring laterally between the spring seats. In other prior tilt-adjustable steering columns, preload compression flexure of the long balance spring is attained by compressing the balance spring longitudinally against a spring seat on the mast jacket through a bore in the tilt housing and then inserting a twist-lock style retainer in the bore behind the compressed balance spring. A tilt-adjustable motor vehicle steering column and method according to this invention are novel alternatives to such prior tilt-adjustable motor vehicle steering columns and methods.